Archive of Our Own

The crunch of gravel forced the employee’s ears to perk up, the sound breaking through the chorus of cicadas that filled the air. She tensed; her body coiled with anticipation as she listened for an indication that her momentary respite was over. 

The sound of the engine rumbled and progressively got softer as the car turned the corner. She felt her body relax slightly at the knowledge that the customer was likely driving into the carpark and not stopping at the drive-thru. 

Her hand, which was poised over the button on her headset, dropped to her side as the brunette stood. 

She still had to return to her station, but it was a relief that she didn’t need to rush over. She and her coworkers had already gotten interrupted by customers arriving twice while they were eating, and that was within the span of twenty minutes. 

Pushing herself up from her relaxed position, the brunette let out a dramatic groan, loud enough such that the girl who sat across from her couldn’t help but laugh. 

Their lunches had long entered their stomachs, but for two students working through their summer break, it wasn’t near enough to satisfy them.

Mechanically, she put on her cap and adjusted her shirt, which had been creased from her slouched posture. Straightening her name tag, Wheein resigned herself to returning to work after a 27-minute lunch break. It was three minutes early, but she would rather leisurely prepare for the next customer than rush over once they arrived.

The tanned employee on the other side of the partition stretched languidly, her aim strangely accurate as she swiped both of their rubbish into the bin with one hand. Wheein knew she would get smacked for saying it, but her friend’s movements were almost feline in nature. It was ironic since the other girl complained whenever she brought up her cat. She might have worn out the novelty of it, considering how often she bragged about how cute her cat was. 

Whipping her head around to check if any of her superiors were in the vicinity, Wheein unlocked her phone to check for any messages. 

Ggomo’s round eyes brought a smile to her face as her screen lit up. He was still getting used to his surroundings but it was nice to return home and find her cat waiting for her. Other than lifting her spirits, it was also a reminder that not only was she working for her own living expenses but she had a cat to feed too.

The glare on the pavement welcomed her when she returned to her seat by the window. The tinted window cut off some of the brightness but it was essentially useless when she had to lift the glass to interact with the customers anyway. 

It was just a few more hours before the end of her shift. Then, she was free. Her next shift was in two days, which left her some time to rest. Hence, all things considered, her part-time job didn’t take too much away from her summer vacation. It was just the afternoon shifts that bothered her. Somehow, more often than not, she ended up having to conceal her groan whenever she saw her name listed under the dreaded afternoon shift slot. It was thanks to the presence of Hyejin and Yongsun that she didn’t actually lose her mind.

Aside from the irritating way the fabric of her shirt stuck to her skin uncomfortably and the cap messed up her already damp hair, it was a Russian roulette of customers who would come through the drive-thru.

As the cashier, Wheein was first in line to receive them.

If she was lucky, most of the people stopping by the branch were either families with kids on vacation, students who wanted to study or adults looking for a cheap meal. For lack of a better word, they were people who weren’t in a rush and mostly bypassed the drive-thru to have lunch in the outlet.

However, every now and then, she would catch a wave of families heading out or coming back from road trips who ordered enough for her to wish there were more staff on hand. 

It wasn’t as though the branch was short on profits. Yet, according to Yongsun, who had worked there for three summers straight, the branch supervisor was adamant that they kept to the same number of employees per shift during the off-peak periods. 

After all, it was summer vacation so most of the students in their district had left for their hometowns. The only students left behind were those like herself, who saddled themselves with a job for extra funds, or the ones like her best friend whom she had convinced to work with her lest she die of boredom during her shifts. With the exception of students who came to their branch to study and commandeered a table for hours, Wheein had to admit that the seating capacity was hardly used up.  

Thus, her shifts were a mix of experiencing the mad rush to complete an office team’s worth of orders in a couple of minutes, and hours spent watching the plants outside grow. 

On some days, it was mostly the latter. While she didn’t mind the relaxed workload, the sweltering heat, combined with the fact that it was after lunch meant that she was in a constant state of lethargy.

Fortunately for Wheein, a car pulled up to the gantry before her eyelids drooped. 

The tell-tale beep in her ear confirmed that the customer was hers to handle.  

Reaching for the mic, the part-timer pushed the button and glanced towards the window that faced the driveway. 

The words on the sticky note taped to the side of her table had long since faded from being exposed to the sun.

Thankfully, she no longer needed the list of steps to follow when it came to dealing with customers. After taking on the role of cashier for the past couple of weeks, Wheein had finally settled into a routine roulette of lines she could feed the customers without getting nervous. However, it was comforting to have a reminder to fall back on. 

“Hello, welcome to McDonald’s Drive-Thru, what would you like to order?”

A second passed as she took her finger off the button, waiting for the customer to respond. 

“Hey there. Sorry, just a moment.”

The momentary pause normally signalled a large order, which prompted her to lean across the counter for a pen and notepad, too lazy to get up and move from her seat. 

“Hello? Miss?”

Snapping back to attention, she held the button and spoke into the receiver.

“Yes, I’m listening.”

As soon as she finished her sentence, a list of items crackled through the receiver as the customer listed out an order that was fit for an entire office team.

Over the next three minutes, a few things happened.

There was a tap on the reader as the customer paid with a black credit card.

A beep resounded, the appropriate amount flashing into the computer system as the transaction was approved. 

“Here is your receipt. Your food will be ready shortly. Please head to the pick up window for collection.”

Tearing off the receipt, Wheein handed it to the customer as the order form emerged from the other terminal.

Throwing a hurried glance to her best friend, Wheein strode over to the other room, grabbing the folded apron she always left on the counter in case of bulk orders.

All she could do was pray that no other customer arrived over the next five minutes. 

As though a switch had been flipped, Hyejin straightened, her eyes darting towards the order sheet and counting the number of orders. Like clockwork, Wheein smoothly crossed the floor to the other counter as Hyejin pulled out multiple ingredients for the batch of orders. 

The other staff on the floor had been assigned to other areas for the day so it was just them for now.

Although she had the food safety certification, as the staff in charge of manning the cash register, preparing burgers and handling the deep fryer wasn’t exactly in her job description. Yet, it went without saying that in their team, everyone shared the same responsibility to get things done. 

She had learned that lesson the hard way during their first week. They had received a delivery order of twenty sets of food for a birthday party. If that wasn’t daunting enough, it was during lunch time and there were office workers waiting impatiently in line for their food. Needless to say, the inexperienced part-timers had been overwhelmed. 

It took Yongsun calmly walking them through the orders, working through each set as though she had been given one order and not twenty, for Wheein to realise that perhaps she had underestimated the bubbly senior. 

In this case, four sets of burgers, fries and drinks with two ala-carte orders of salads and customised sides awaited the two part time employees. The only difference was that Yongsun had just clocked out for her assigned 10-minute break, and it was too late to go after her. Hence, with a fervid glance to her best friend, they started on their orders.

“Three minutes,” Yongsun’s voice rang in her head. “That’s all you get per order unless you hold the customer and send them to the waiting bay.”

The timer on the counter sat quietly, turning away as the seconds ticked by. 

The buzzer rang just as they finished the burgers. Leaping towards the fridge where they stored the salads and side dishes, Wheein yanked out the necessary sides and condiments before grabbing the completed orders. 

Yongsun would have been proud of them, Wheein thought, if the said staff member wasn’t currently clocking in her allotted breaktime that she had fought to be written in all their contracts. 

Although a part of her thought that fighting for a mandatory thirty minute lunch break and ten minute rest to be spelled out on a temporary staff contract went a little overboard, she held a certain amount of respect for the older girl for convincing their boss to amend their contracts. 

Now, each of the staff members had staggered rest-breaks, such that there would always be at least half the staff on the ground at all times. 

When she was introduced to the international relations major, Wheein had doubted the other girl’s seniority. Between how bubbly she was and the random moments of clumsiness, she had trouble believing that Kim Yongsun was not only older than them, but someone the other part-timers looked up to. 

Considering that during her first shift, Yongsun mixed up the locations where the kitchen equipment was stored, Wheein couldn’t help but secretly doubt whether they could survive the week. However, after learning that she had taken over Yongsun’s previous role and how she had stayed late to memorise all the recipes so she could teach them to Hyejin, Wheein berated herself for judging the older girl before getting to know her.

Four bags worth of food in her hands, Wheein set out towards the pick-up window.

Sure enough, the car was already sitting in the driveway, front window rolled down revealing a middle aged man wearing a blazer that looked too hot for the summer heat wave they were having. His phone was held up to his ear as he spoke, the formal and overly polite words a signal that he was likely speaking to his boss. 

Hiding her sigh by smiling through her teeth, Wheein handed over the bags of food and drinks and wished the customer a good day.

At least, she told herself, she had reached a point where she could hold her frozen smile until after the car pulled out of the carpark.

It was part of their everyday routine at this point.

“Ugh,” Wheein groaned as she turned back to her best friend. “It’s our first summer as freshmen. Remind me again why we decided to work at a fast food establishment?” 

Hyejin looked up from tapping her phone screen. “Well, wasn’t it you who coerced me into working through the summer?” 

“For the sake of our-”

“Yes, yes, for our stomachs.” Her best friend cut in placatingly. As embarrassing as that conversation had gone, they really found themselves out of pocket money because they had spent everything on snacks during the school term. 

As if on cue, a growl cut through the extended silence. 

“I didn’t have breakfast today. Of course, I’m still hungry.” Hyejin protested in embarrassment, plastering her hands over her stomach. At the excuse, Wheein had to fight the urge to roll her eyes.

“Because someone ignored my advice and chose to turn the alarm off and sleep for an extra 10 minutes.” She supplied dryly as she headed back to her counter. “Sorry, Hyejin-ah, I don’t have any food left.” 

“Unless…” The suspiciously coy tone made her turn. 

In a split second, her frown became a wide grin as she looked over in the same direction Hyejin had turned.

Their eyes met.

It didn’t take another second to know that they had the same idea as both of them darted towards the same target. 

Back in elementary school, she had noticed the dark haired brunette on occasion. It was hard not to, when Hyejin would suddenly burst into song in the middle of the hall out of boredom, or run into class late because she overslept. She had never shied away from doing what she wanted, even if she was alone, which was something Wheein herself admired. Contrary to someone like herself who already had a group of friends and an image of herself she didn’t care to change, she was content with keeping things status quo. 

It was in middle school when that changed. 

Why Ahn Hyejin had chosen her of all people to waltz up to and announce her intention to befriend her was something Wheein still hadn’t figured out. The other girl had taken her by surprise when she slammed her hand on the table and pronounced her feelings of wanting to be closer to her. Startled, Wheein hadn’t known how to respond at first. Instead, she had just burst out in laughter at the absurdity of the situation. 

Yet, somehow, she decided to be brave and follow her gut feeling, meeting the other girl’s intense gaze with a grin as she answered “Sure, why not?”.

That day marked the beginning of one of her longest and closest friendships to date. 

It was only later that she learned that Ahn Hyejin might have looked like a force to reckon with, but the intensity in her gaze had been a sign of nervousness. The sweet and gentle girl had a softness that she only realised after getting to know her. The discovery had led to countless inside jokes over food and afternoons spent in karaoke rooms belting their hearts out.

In many ways, they were opposites. Yet, they somehow worked well together because of their differences. Hence, she couldn’t think of a better person to call her housemate. When Hyejin found out she was staying for the summer, she hadn’t even hesitated before calling her parents to say that she would only have time for a short visit at the end of her holidays. The gesture had warmed her heart, even though she still had to convince Hyejin to apply for work with her. 

The gleam in Hyejin’s eyes matched her own as they reached the lone counter nearest to the pickup window. 

A bag sat on the corner, the smell of chicken wafting out from it. 

A white tag with the name “Yongsun” was pasted on the side of the bag. The letters were written in marker ink, as both a warning and a plea, but neither worked on the remaining part timers in the kitchen.

Yongsun had left for the washroom after claiming that she was saving the leftovers for later. However, it had been ten minutes and the oldest staff member still hadn’t returned. 

Judging by how punctual she was, Wheein estimated that they were playing with fire. However, their unnie probably wouldn’t notice if a couple of fries and nuggets went missing. Plus, as Wheein reasoned, they had worked extremely hard on the last order while she was taking a break and deserved a reward. 

“I won’t tell Yongsun-unnie if you don’t.” Hyejin added, both their hands already reaching for the bag. 

Wheein was about to respond in kind, when the door swung open abruptly. Both girls scrambled back to their original positions, nearly tripping over the stools in the process. 

It was nearly comical how oblivious Yongsun could be sometimes. 

Entirely unaware of the situation, the senior staff member entered the room with her arms raised behind her head as she tied her brown hair into a ponytail. Her polo shirt was slightly wrinkled but the slight imperfection was soon rectified when the brunette tucked it into the band of her pants and covered it with her apron. Smoothening out the folds in her apron, the older girl finally turned to face both of them.

Confusion was reflected in her eyes as she met their gazes.

The dimpled girl tried to rack her brain for something to say, but came up with nothing. There was no easy way to say “hey, we were getting hungry so we were thinking of sharing your leftovers instead of letting it go to waste”. 

She could only hope Hyejin could hold her silence after they returned to work. It was no secret that she and Yongsun had gotten closer over the past few weeks, neither was it that Hyejin couldn’t lie to save her life. However, the chances of Yongsun switching into work mode the moment her shift started and forgetting anything happened were high. 

Hence, neither girl spoke a word as Yongsun picked up her bag and placed it into the fridge behind them, effectively cutting off their chances to steal some of her fries without her noticing. 

“Okay, spill. Why are you guys acting weird?” Yongsun finally asked as she moved back to her station. Hyejin shared a furtive glance with Wheein as the older of the two changed the subject. 

“You were gone for a while.” Wheein stated casually. “Anything happen?”

“Was I?” Yongsun turned to face the clock on the wall, adjusting her collar and twisting her ponytail into bun that fit neatly under her cap as she readied herself for the rest of the day. Wheein still found it remarkable that she didn’t need a mirror to accomplish all that. 

“My bad.” She apologised. “I was settling something with my sister.”

“You don’t have to explain yourself unnie, but if you feel bad for leaving us to handle a ton of orders then you can treat us to dinner sometime!” Wheein smirked. Granted, she was exaggerating her plight, but Yongsun was too easy to tease.

Yongsun grimaced as she turned to the black haired girl. “The office guy again?” 

“That’s the one!” Wheein teased. “Lately he’s been appearing at the drive through more often. I wonder why.” 

“Maybe it’s to hear your lovely voice.” Hyejin shot back, knowing it would annoy the other girl. “You never know… You might have earned yourself a recommendation by the end of summer.”

“Ew. From him of all people…” She failed to hide her disgust at the thought, making the other two employees laugh. “No, thank you.”

Just the suggestion of a random middle aged man coming to the drive through to see her made her want to switch tasks with Hyejin for a week. However, that would mean losing out on the opportunity to see her favourite customer. 

Any other retorts left her mind as she heard the signature sound of wheels over the pavement, signalling the arrival another customer. However, it was the absence of the rumbling sound of a car or motorbike engine that spurred Wheein into action.

Ignoring the way Hyejin’s eyes curved with a knowing smirk on her face, the brunette leapt back to her counter just in time to press the button and greet the customer. 

A genuine smile broke on Wheein’s face as she noticed the familiar blonde hair at the drive through gantry. 

“Hi, one cheeseburger please!” 

It was the middle of the week. She should have expected her regular customer to show up sooner or later.

Still though, she had to follow procedure or risk facing the wrath of their actual branch supervisor if he came to check on them. 

“Sure thing! With large fries and a drink?” 

The humour in her voice was audible as the other girl responded accordingly.

“No, a la carte please.” 

Wheein rolled her eyes and keyed in the order anyway, despite expecting nothing less from the frequent customer.

The enigmatic girl first appeared during her first week on the job. 

“Hello, welcome!” She glanced back at the paper taped to the wall, her handwritten script reminding her that she had more to say. “I mean, welcome to McDonald’s Drive-Thru! Can I take your order?” 

A soft but obviously feminine chuckle came through the speaker after her rapid sentence. 

“Slow down, it’s alright. I’d like to order a cheeseburger.”

“Absolutely! Do you want anything to go with it,” Wheein rambled as she looked through the guidelines for what she was supposed to say to a potential customer. Yongsun had just given her a list of tips to follow, so that she wouldn’t be confused, but handling the register alone for the first time somehow rendered her advice useless. “Like a drink or if you want, you could make it a set?” 

The laughter returned, but it didn’t carry a mocking sentiment, which lightened her embarrassment and eased her nerves at the same time. She could see the shadow of Yongsun on the other side of the doorway, hovering like a mother hen as her senior tried to give her space to figure things out. Wheein bit back a laugh of her own at the worried look on her face. 

“If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like it as an a la carte order, please.”

“Sure.” Wheein said finally, keying in the simple order and directing the customer to the counter to pay. 

The scrape against the concrete prompted her to get the terminal ready as the customer approached her. As she leaned out the window, she was met with the curious gaze of a girl who looked not much older than her. However, what surprised her wasn’t her age, but the fact that she was riding up on a skateboard in the middle of a carpark.

The girl scanned her features for a moment, before her gaze shifted behind her. 

“Is something wrong?” Wheein asked, slightly confused at her reaction. She looked at the screen on the register to confirm she had entered the correct order. 

Her order form looked like a replica of the form Yongsun had shown her earlier, so nothing should be amiss. 

Perhaps, Wheein thought, she might have missed a step then. Before she could apologise for a mistake she wasn’t sure she had committed, the girl shook her head. 

“No, everything’s great, sorry about that.” Clearing her throat, the customer quickly lifted her card to the reader. “It’s hard to concentrate when you get served by pretty cashiers on their first day.”

“Thanks. I bet you say that to all the girls.” She answered monotonously.

Holding back her urge to scoff at the blatant flirtatious remark, Wheein raised the terminal to receive her card. She had more things to worry about other than a customer who was too full of herself. Her shoulders sagged in relief when the transaction went through.

“Collection is up ahead! Hope you enjoy your meal.” She recited with a genuine smile. 

The customer’s closed lip smile widened as her eyes darted down for a second. 

“I will. Thanks, Wheein.” Hearing her name caused the new employee to jolt for a second before she realised her new name tag had just been given to her earlier. Before she could react, the customer had already pushed her skateboard away. “See you around.” 

Little did Wheein know how accurate her statement was, because an hour later, she heard the same voice over the speaker asking for an a la carte order of fries. 

She blinked in confusion at the other girl’s cheeky smile as she approached the counter. 

“You again?” She blurted, not really caring about her professional image at that point. 

“Yep!” As if she had planned it all, the blonde girl smirked. “I’m back. Did you miss me?”

“No.” Wheein recoiled in half annoyance and half confusion. She clearly recalled asking whether the other girl wanted a meal earlier, and the customer had said no. “Did you want something?”

“ I don’t think that’s how you’re supposed to greet a customer.” The blonde girl smirked cheekily. The rise in her cheekbones showed her amusement, much to Wheein’s annoyance.

She grit her teeth into a smile. “Apologies ma’am. How may I be of service today?”

The other girl’s grin widened. “You mentioned fries the last time we met. I’d like to try them.”

“So… an a la carte order of fries, was it?” She repeated.

Perhaps she was one of those people who ordered an a la carte burger and realised they were still hungry afterwards, Wheein reasoned. There was no reason to be judgmental regarding a potential customer. 

“Do you want anything else to go with that?” She asked, eyeing the other girl while trying not to obviously hint that it was more value for money to order her items together rather than separately. “Like a drink, perhaps?”

“Maybe another time.” Came her confident response. “Thanks again, Wheein.”

She should have anticipated it, but Wheein was genuinely astounded when the same girl approached her window an hour later. Only this time, she was ordering a large Coca Cola. 

Amidst the slew of silent curses in her brain that Wheein held herself back from saying, she sweetly asked if the customer was sure about her order and if she wanted anything else. 

After all, she couldn’t get fired on her first week. Hence, she bit her tongue and smiled through her teeth as she thanked the customer for her patronage. 

As quickly as the first two orders happened, the girl tapped her card on the reader and waved as she pushed her skateboard over to the pick-up window. 

The brunette watched her go with even more questions than she started off with. 

Wheein couldn’t help but wonder whether this girl was really that indecisive or if she had way too much time on her hands. Only an idiot would split their orders into separate items when they could purchase everything as a set. 

From the corner of her vision, she caught sight of Yongsun’s flailing arms while she made some strange pose at something Hyejin said. It was in the far end of the kitchen and in a different room but her screeching laughter somehow reached her. She couldn’t decide whether the senior sounded more like a dolphin or a dying whale, but both were loud enough for her to hope that the customers didn’t get scared off. 

Walking to the doorway, she called out.

“Unnie! One large Coke for the drive-thru customer at the pickup window.” 

That was sufficient to pause their conversation as the eldest girl spurred into action, nearly tripping on a chair she chosen to leave in the walkway instead of moving it. By some miracle, Hyejin managed to grab her arm in time, steadying her before they made a mess in the kitchen.

Wheein stifled a giggle as Hyejin tried to ensure that her colleague didn’t spill the drink over the customer. 

It was a pity that all the unnies she encountered ended up being weird. 

~~ 

The next time she encountered the odd customer was two days later. 

She wouldn’t consider herself a busybody, but after taking her separate a la carte orders again, the curiosity won over her professionalism. 

She finally broke when the blonde girl came up to the window with an order of Coca Cola. 

Unapologetically, Wheein asked whether she was a stalker, causing the other girl to nearly fall off her skateboard in surprise. Thankfully, the girl had managed to brace herself against the window ledge before she lost her balance entirely and Wheein would have needed to call for an ambulance. It wouldn’t have been a good look. 

After accepting her awkward but sincere apology, the girl asked for her name in the most greasy and obnoxious manner that Wheein chortled in laughter.

That was how she learned that the greasy customer was Moon Byulyi, a senior attending the same university. Coincidentally, her name matched a well-known senior in her dance team who had taken the semester off to train at an idol company. Hence, as part of the new freshman lineup, Wheein hadn’t been introduced to her yet. 

The older girl had been thrilled to learn that she was a freshman at her university, eagerly prolonging the conversation and asking about her classes. Putting aside her horrible pick-up lines, she found that the other girl, no matter how odd her orders were, was genuinely easy to converse with.

It started from simple things, like learning that Byulyi liked sunflowers because of her lock screen. Then, her love for dogs, because she couldn’t stop talking about her newest puppy back in Bucheon. Eventually, she felt more like a friend than a customer, which made Wheein even more curious about her visits.

The first person she went to was Yongsun. Being her predecessor and senior in school, she assumed that the older staff member would have at least heard of the dancer and could provide her with some insight. 

Their conversation went like this-

“Moon Byulyi?” The international relations major pursed her lips, staring at her chicken salad intensely, as though the dish had committed a grave crime against her. If Wheein hadn’t been so focused on getting any tidbit of information on the dancer, she would have found it funny how Yongsun looked as though she had just swallowed a piece of sour candy. “I’m not really familiar with her.”

After spearing a couple of lettuce leaves with her fork, she looked to Wheein, curiosity reflected in her gaze.

“Why do you ask? Is she bothering you?” 

“No! Not at all!” Wheein waved her hands in a negative motion, trying to dispel the sudden tension in the air. When the older girl’s shoulders relaxed, Hyejin shot her a pointed look which she ignored. Upon reflection, she probably shouldn’t have. 

“She just seemed pretty cool and I was curious about-”

“—That girl is more annoying than anything.” She muttered. “She thinks she can do whatever she wants and get away with it. I really can’t stand her.”

At her comment, Wheein fell silent. It was the closest she had seen the older girl get to being upset at that point, which admittedly, was not what she had been aiming for.

Realising she had been a little too harsh, Yongsun’s attention returned to her salad with a sigh. “Sorry. I don’t know her too well but she flirts with everything on two legs. Don’t mind her. We’re not supposed to fraternise with customers anyway.” 

That was the end of it. 

Even if it wasn’t, Hyejin had roughly placed her plate in the sink, ending the conversation. The sound effectively stole Yongsun’s attention as the older brunette turned to chide her for not being careful. 

Somehow, Wheein felt like the antagonism was a little too much for someone who claimed she didn’t really know the dancer, but it wasn’t her place to ask. Especially not with Hyejin suddenly giving her a stern look of warning that urged her to drop the topic. 

After that conversation, she gave up and accepted that she would probably have to find the answers on her own. 

It wasn’t that she was lacking in opportunity anyway. It had been weeks since then and Byulyi made it a habit to drop by every few days, sticking to the same order. 

Wheein still thought it was a weird habit to order the items separately, considering how it was cheaper and less of a hassle to order a meal and get everything at once. Yet, according to Byulyi, it was easier for her to hold one item at a time while on a skateboard. Plus, she could take her time to eat her food without worrying that her fries would get soggy or her drink would become diluted. 

It seemed more like a convenient excuse than anything substantial, but considering how the blonde was partly funding her monthly supply of fried chicken and soju, Wheein couldn’t really think of a reason to convince her otherwise. At least, Byulyi could be considered a breath of fresh air from the office workers who piled up their orders as though they were preparing for the apocalypse. 

It took a few weeks of interweaving small talk while she took Byulyi’s orders, but Wheein had begun to look forward to the older girl’s visits. 

“Hello, unnie! You’re back again today!” 

Skipping the formalities, she instantly greeted the older girl with a cheerful wave.

Her black backpack was slung casually over one shoulder, the uneven weight causing Byulyi to tilt slightly as she turned and stopped in front of her. 

Wheein held back a snicker at the flash of light blue singing on the zipper. The first time she noticed the Squirtle keychain, she had asked if the older girl liked the series. Instead of giving her a direct answer, Byulyi had smirked and told her that having a character keychain is a great conversation starter.

Wheein liked to think that she had grown to understand the blonde a little more since then. With how she left the keychain in its protective sleeve, its importance was obvious, whether or not she wanted to admit it. 

Having a random Pokémon character on her otherwise undecorated bag contrasted with her cool image, especially with her oversized navy sports jersey and jeans. Yet, she still managed to look like a girl crush senior that would have captured the hearts of freshmen students in school. 

With how the other dancers in her batch talked about looking forward to seeing her in action, Wheein wouldn’t have been surprised if that wasn’t far from the truth. 

“Of course. I had to drop by and visit my favourite employee before she forgets about me.”

“You think too highly of yourself.” Wheein scoffed at the remark, despite the slight warmth in her cheeks. “I’ve already said you’re not my type.” 

The dancer clutched her chest dramatically, making the younger girl roll her eyes. “Coming from you, that hurt, Wheein-ah.”

“Please, you act as though you don’t come here when I’m not on shift.” Between Yongsun and the other part-timers, she could see why Byulyi’s reputation for being a notorious flirt had preceded her. However, the other girl’s incessant compliments and lines could be funny when they weren’t mildly irritating. 

The blonde tilted her head, pretending to consider her remark. “Well, I guess being served by pretty girls does make the food taste better too.” 

“Ugh, unnie!” Wheein scrunched up her nose in mock disgust, causing the other girl to laugh. “You could have just said no. I feel sorry for whoever has to deal with your greasiness when I’m not on shift.”

“You can admit that you miss my presence when I’m not here, Wheein-ah.” The older girl grinned, a look of mischief in her eyes. She leaned in, lowering her voice conspiratorially. “And don’t worry, I still think you’re the cutest cashier I’ve met so far.”

“You really are a disgusting flirt, you know? You’re lucky it’s me on duty and not my senior.” She lifted the terminal with practiced ease for Byulyi to tap her card on the reader. “Unnie would get indigestion from having to listen to all your greasy comments.”

“Senior?” The blonde’s eyebrows shot up in unconcealed interest. “Another pretty girl to introduce to me?” 

“You already have most, if not all of the female student population falling over you, don’t you? Leave some for the other singles out there.” Wheein groaned. The slight regret for bringing Yongsun up was hitting her, even though she meant it as a joke. It was already obvious from their previous conversation that Yongsun didn’t have a good impression of the other girl. She wasn’t about to cause more conflict at her own workplace. She still had a couple of months to survive before the end of summer.

“Besides, you have way too much faith in your charms, unnie.” 

She could already imagine how their first meeting would go. With how seriously Yongsun took her work, she would probably have instantly lost patience with the customer. Although, Wheein thought to herself, that would probably be entertaining to watch.

“Oh? So you agree that I’m charming.” The other girl grinned slyly. “I am flattered, Wheein-ah.”

“Was that the only thing you took away from what I said?” Wheein sighed. 

Yongsun would have had a field day handling her. They were entire opposites.

They hadn’t called her “grandma” without basis. Hyejin had taken pity on the older girl when she realized her skills and knowledge about social media were meagre at best, while Wheein had gotten tired of having to explain every single abbreviation and trend she referenced during their breaktimes. 

Considering how Yongsun would whine but give in whenever they poked fun of her, their straightforward unnie would easily be a target. Perhaps it was a good thing she wasn’t on the rotation for register duty anymore. She wasn’t going to be a party to murder if Yongsun ended up strangling Byulyi in frustration.

She put that thought out of her mind quickly.

“You know, I really deserve a recommendation for how much customer service I do for you.” She added, already keying in Byulyi’s order as a set meal but printing separate order sheets for each of her items. It wasn’t exactly against protocol to separate the receipts for items in a set meal, but it was tedious. 

“See you in an hour or so?” She asked, handing her the receipt.

“Confident, are you?” The other girl grinned. “You never know, I might skip this place and decide to patronise the fried chicken shop down the road. I hear they have a new sauce that’s trending on tiktok.” 

Wheein gasped in outrage, clasping a hand over her chest as though she had been dealt a great betrayal. 

“Unnie, how dare you! After all the weeks of putting up with your terrible pick-up lines?!” 

Byulyi shrugged, her denim jacket shifting over her shoulders as she did so. The strap of her backpack kept the article of clothing in place but the movement caught Wheein’s eye, which was the only reason she noticed the unusual fabric tone. 

Was it her imagination or was Byulyi wearing her jacket inside out? 

Wheein blinked, brushing the observation away. She was probably overthinking again. For all she knew, it was the latest fashion trend. 

“Well, you know, Wheepup,” the older girl winked and flashed her a small smile. “I’ve gotta keep you on your toes, don’t I?”

“Wheepup?” She repeated. “What kind of name is that?” 

Byulyi grinned unapologetically, her smile reaching her cheeks. “Cause you remind me of an excited puppy.”

“Comparing me to a dog is not a compliment!” Wheein whined in annoyance. It had been a joke amongst her friends when she was younger, but only Hyejin called her that since they graduated. She huffed at the way Byulyi simply threw her head back and cackled, but she couldn’t deny that a part of her felt relieved at the older girl’s good mood. 

“Ah, that was good. I needed a laugh after being stuck in class for three hours.” Three hours was the normal lecture duration, but Byulyi didn’t seem like the type to actually study in class. She was about to say just that, when a silver car pulled up at the gantry. She sent Byulyi an apologetic glance, knowing that their conversation would be cut short. 

“Alright, you don’t need to give me the puppy eyes. I won’t hold up the queue.” After catching her breath, the blonde reoriented her balance on the skateboard.

“See you around, Wheepup!”

With a surprising amount of agility, Byulyi darted forward, snatching her receipt with one hand and ruffling her hair with the other. After messing up her fringe, she pushed herself away from the window, getting out of reach before a startled Wheein could smack her in retaliation. 

“Yah!” was all she could get out before Byulyi zoomed past the window.

The fresh scent of forest wood and salt lingered even after she pulled away, causing Wheein to wrinkle her nose in annoyance. It wasn’t her perfume of choice, but the combination suited the free spirited dancer.

The scent itself wasn’t overpowering, but the other girl had obviously sprayed enough cologne on her clothes for the smell to stick. A bit too much, for Wheein’s taste. It reminded her of a teenage girl trying to spray perfume on herself to attract her crush, but considering Byulyi’s reputation, that was hard to imagine.

Absorbed by her own thoughts, however, Wheein missed the way Yongsun picked up the greasy kitchen equipment and roughly tossed them into the sink. 

The resounding clatter spurred her to lean back in her seat, catching the worried gaze Hyejin shot towards her and wondering what her friend did to annoy the older girl this time.

~~

Of course, aside from the entertainment, there were also days when Wheein wondered why she chose to befriend such a person.

“Hey unnie, do you not get tired of eating the same thing over and over?” She asked. It was mostly said without thought, while she typed in an order of fries on her register.

It wasn’t exactly normal for staff to ask customers candid questions, but Byulyi had never been a normal customer.

Wheein figured it was fine, until the other girl let out a startled laugh, which bloomed into full blown laughter.

Her reaction prompted Wheein to play back her question in her head. As the implication became clear, her cheeks flared up in both irritation and embarrassment.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it!” She groaned. “Why are you like this?”

“I know.” Byulyi smirked. “But to answer your question, no, in all aspects.”

She grimaced in disgust. “You’re awful. Go away.”

“Nah,” The other girl flipped her hair cheekily. “You like me too much.”

With a cursive glance to ensure no one was watching, Wheein raised her middle finger at the older girl. The innocence of the question was ruined anyway, along with her curiosity.

“Okay, okay,” Byulyi raised her arms placatingly. Deliberately leaning on the edge of the windowsill, she blinked innocently. “What did our dear Wheeinie want to ask?”

Rolling her eyes at the way Byulyi treated her like a child, Wheein chose to ignore the comment in favour of asking her question. “I just meant that you never seem interested in trying any of the new items or even ice cream.”

“Well, if there’s anything nice you recommend, I could consider trying them.” The dancer supplied with a smile. “If it’s ice cream, anything not strawberry is fine.”

“Oh, you don’t like strawberry?”

Byulyi made a noncommittal hum. “It’s not really dislike. I would just prefer other flavours if I had the options. Like, if you have mango, I’ll try that instead.”

“I see.” Wheein nodded, filing the information away in her mind.

She could have sworn the hand cream Byulyi was using the other day had some hint of strawberry scent on it. Wheein waved Byulyi off to the pick-up window and shrugged. She must have been imagining things then.

~~

“Back again so soon?” She teased, seeing the blonde girl push her skateboard over to the window. “You know you’re supposed to actually chew your food before you swallow right?”

“Don’t worry. My mouth and other organs are functioning just fine.” It would have been more effective if the older girl’s attempt at winking hadn’t come out looking more like a blink. Wheein did her best to stifle her laughter.

“So,” she continued. “How can I help further your fast-food addiction today?”

“You know me,” Byulyi winked. “Can’t get enough of the Coca-Cola here.”

“Oh right,” Wheein played along gleefully as she looked for the other girl’s receipt. “The coke here is superior. Way better than the bottled drinks at convenience stores. Everyone comes here for that.”

“You sure it’s not for the service?” The way the blonde girl slipped in her remark was so natural that Wheein would have been impressed if not for how often she had been hearing her attempts to flirt. 

“Ah, you’ve already used that line once, unnie,” the younger girl made a thumbs down motion at the blonde. “Your lines have been getting unoriginal lately. Are you running out of ideas or have you just been flirting too much with the waitstaff recently?”

Truthfully, she didn’t know exactly how often Byulyi showed up when she wasn’t on shift. However, when it came to someone like her, word spread quickly amongst the other part-timers. Hence, it wasn’t too difficult for Wheein to gather that a couple of the other girls had encountered her a few times over the past few weeks.

She originally had meant the comment as a joke. Yet, the thoughtful widening of Byulyi’s eyes told her that she had probably taken it seriously.

“Oh… could that be why…” A small crease formed on her brow as the older girl trailed off. 

“Byulyi unnie?” Wheein quickly realised the other girl’s attention had drifted.

However, before she could question it further, the older girl met her gaze with an awkward smile, her cheeks slightly flushed with embarrassment. “I was kidding about that, don’t worry.”

“Sorry,” she glanced down, rubbing the back of her neck. “I guess it’s just been a long day.” 

“It’s fine unnie.” As she spoke, Wheein’s eyes darted to a silver of skin below her neck that was visible. “Anything on your mind?” 

Considering how the older girl always wore loose shirts that covered up most of her skin, her attention was drawn to Byulyi’s collar, which, up until an hour ago when she ordered her burger, had been fully buttoned. 

It was only because of the slight difference that she spotted a black chain hanging on her neck.

The thinness of the chain somehow fit with how pale her skin was. Despite the lack of a pendant, the simplicity didn’t look out of place. Instead, it seemed elegant in its own way.

She hadn’t thought much of the random detail, still partially distracted by the odd reaction from Byulyi earlier, until the blonde suddenly spoke. 

“It’s really hot today, isn’t it?” Byulyi glanced up at the sky, her hands reaching up to button her collar. 

Wheein dutifully followed her gaze and nodded, slightly confused as to why the other girl was so eager to talk about the weather when the temperature had already reached its height for the past week. When she met Byulyi’s eyes again, her shirt was properly buttoned, as though the past few minutes were a dream. 

“Uh… yeah.” She answered, unsure how to add on to that statement.

Thankfully, Byulyi seemed to have other things on her mind, because she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and glanced to the ground.

“Well, does it ever affect your mood? Like, make you irritated easily?” Wheein nodded hesitantly, unsure where the other girl was heading with her question. Perhaps the summer heat had been getting to her. After all, Byulyi skated around with her skateboard so she was exposed to the sun. “Is there something that would make you feel better?”

“Is it… for a friend?”

Wheein leaned back slightly, considering the question. It sounded like she was asking for gift suggestions but she was failing at being subtle.

The other girl shifted uncomfortably. “Yeah.”

“Hmm… Well, I guess it’s a good weather for bingsu.” Wheein suggested finally. It was the easiest option that had the most universal appeal too. “It’s always nice to have something sweet and it’s also good for the heat.”

Bingsu always brought a smile to her face, even though technically, it was just shaved ice and simple toppings.

It started in middle school. After admitting that she didn’t buy sweets because she didn’t want to burden her mother financially, Hyejin offered to share a cup of bingsu after class. According to her, it was way too much for one person to finish, although Wheein later realised that Hyejin was just a better liar than she anticipated.

After that, it became a habit. Hyejin and her would share random food, be it a cup of shaved ice, or chicken skewers or tteokbokki, walking and talking on the way home.

Perhaps it was because they had grown up since then, but they hadn’t had much time for that ever since they started college, nor did they have the money to splurge on dessert cafes. With how many times they postponed their dessert cravings, it became an inside joke because they would suggest it casually, knowing that they probably wouldn’t get around to it until later. Unconsciously, she licked her lips at the thought.

Lost in her longing for her dessert, Wheein nearly missed the slight widening of the other girl’s eyes and the way she immediately brightened at her words.

“That’s a good idea actually.” The customer tilted her head in consideration. “Perhaps that might work.”

The sentence was muttered so softly that Wheein had to strain her ears to hear it, but the older girl halted her line of thought with another question.

“Would you- I mean, if someone were to be unhappy, that would be something that would cheer them up right?” She asked again carefully, as though she was testing the waters. 

“Because of the heat, you know?” She added, albeit a bit unnecessarily. Wheein narrowed her eyes in suspicion. The gift seemed more and more like something she was going to be the recipient of. She could see the gears turning in her head as the blonde repeated herself.

Watching the normally composed Byulyi ramble on when she got nervous was actually entertaining. However, she quickly realised that she had more important things to focus on, like keeping her job.

Byulyi and her might have gotten closer over their regular interactions but she was still a customer.

“If you’re going to do something weird again,” she warned. “Don’t.”

The older girl’s lower lip jutted out in a pout. “I didn’t say it was for you.”

“Sorry Byulyi unnie, we really can’t accept gifts from customers.” Not to mention, Yongsun would kill her if she found out. The older girl was due to be off shift soon, but it didn’t mean she didn’t have eyes and ears everywhere. She wasn’t about to annoy the older girl when Yongsun had been in an irritable mood the whole afternoon. She didn’t need Byulyi adding fuel to the fire, even if she meant well.

“But I’m only a customer when you’re on shift right?” Undeterred, the other girl smirked as she pushed herself away from the window before Wheein could protest. 

“Thanks for the coke and the idea!”

Cursing her big mouth internally, she resigned herself to the rest of her shift, hoping the other girl wouldn’t go overboard. 

For the next few hours, a steady stream of customers kept her busy enough that she nearly forgot about the blonde senior and her weird behavior.

It had been exactly seven minutes after her shift ended. Seven minutes after the next part-timer was supposed to arrive, when a familiar unexpected face appeared in the doorway.

Not expecting the senior to still be around, Wheein jumped in surprise.

“Unnie! I thought you left!” She exclaimed.

It didn’t escape her notice that Yongsun had changed out of her uniform. Her simple white blouse and jeans showed off her slim and feminine figure without being obscene. The collar of her top hung just above her collarbones, revealing a black choker she previously hadn’t seen. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail, which allowed her brown hair to hang freely behind her neck instead of being trapped in a bun as their regulations required. 

The fresh layer of makeup and a pair of hoop earrings also indicated that she had already clocked out for the day. Her eyes darted to the tote bag slung over her shoulder. 

Ah, she thought, so Yongsun had left and come back for some reason.

Suddenly, a plastic cup dangled in front of her eyes before she could ask the question on her mind.

“Eat this before it melts.” The older girl ordered mildly. Her words were partially muffled by the spoon in her mouth.

“Oh… Thank you.” Wheein accepted the cup with an awkward bow. Somehow, seeing Yongsun with the dessert she had been thinking about all summer was more than a little unexpected.

It was a coincidence, she convinced herself, an oddly specific coincidence that that her senior happened to finish her shift and treat everyone to bingsu on the day she just told Byulyi about her craving.

On days like this, Wheein wished her brain would stop thinking so hard over every fact. Her concern must have been obvious on her face, because Yongsun spoke up.

“Don’t worry too much and just enjoy it. You can think of it as a welcome gift, I guess?” It was a little late for her to be given a welcome gift, but Wheein supposed it was better to not look a gift horse in the mouth. Yongsun glanced at her watch. “You can get your things and meet us outside so we don’t disturb the next shift.”

A peek into the other room showed that Hyejin had forgone her change of clothes in favour of eating her dessert. However, her apron was absent, and her hair was already flowing freely down her shoulders, which would have been a breach of regulations if she was still on duty.

Salivating at the way her best friend was already savouring each bite, Wheein eagerly trailed after Yongsun and grabbed the rest of her things from the locker room.

Yongsun and Hyejin were already halfway through their cups by the time she took her first bite.

The lid came off with a loud pop, condensation dripping off the sides of the cup. The icy chill of the cup acting as a remedy for the exhaustion and heat she had weathered through.

The saccharine sweetness stuck to the back of her throat, reminiscent of the chocolates she used to sneak to school. She thought of the afternoons where she would sneakily fish out a half-eaten chocolate bar from her pencil case— her emergency snack if she got hungry. She would quietly break the bar into pieces, the slightly melted squares of chocolate giving her a much-needed sugar boost to make it through the class.

Sometimes, if she wasn’t sleeping in class, Hyejin would steal one from her. Sometimes, she would offer her a trade with one of her snacks instead. Even though she kicked the habit after growing up, she still kept a few chocolates in her work bag whenever she felt like she was about to doze off after lunch.

She wasn’t sure how Byulyi guessed that she liked chocolate, but she supposed it was a safe choice. Still, she made a mental note to thank the customer the next time she saw her.

The trio ate in silence for a few minutes, all of them trying to enjoy the ice before the dessert turned into liquid sugar.

After a whole day’s shift, she couldn’t deny that there was nothing better than enjoying a reward for her hard work. From the borderline obscene sounds that came from her best friend’s direction every now and then, Hyejin was probably thinking the same thing. She still lightly smacked her arm and complained about losing her appetite. However, the impact was quickly lost when she took a bite and let out a similar sigh of ecstasy, earning a loud laugh from Yongsun and glare from Hyejin.

The heat from the day had thankfully faded, with scattered stars amongst a navy sky taking its place. Although there wasn’t much of a breeze, it no longer felt like they were constantly being baked in a sauna. Finally, Wheein felt like she could release the breath that she had been holding the entire day.

The road up ahead was clear, the only sounds trickling out from it being when customers entered or exited the venue. Despite the relatively early hour, the streets were still.

The trio made their way out of the compound at a languid pace, choosing to enjoy the peaceful respite before their shift the next day.

Beside her, she could vaguely hear Hyejin asking Yongsun about her plans after summer. The older girl started sharing about her plans to go for internships and boost her resume. It was cute, Wheein thought, seeing her best friend ask questions about course requirements she had no interest and understanding of. It was a sign that Hyejin had genuinely developed a friendship with the older girl.

Content to listen to the conversation, Wheein took a few more bites of her bingsu.

Despite the ice having melted a little due to the warmth, the taste of the milk and chocolate sauce was a slice of heavenly bliss.

They soon reached their usual bus stop, albeit a little too early considering their next bus was only due to arrive in fifteen minutes.

Momentarily forgetting Yongsun’s presence, the two juniors made a beeline for the bench, playfully shoving one another to the side as they tried to prevent the other from sitting. By a stroke of luck, Wheein reached the bench first, leaving Hyejin to slump down in the corner seat beside her. 

“Just you wait, Jung Wheein.” Her friend warned; the pout on her face making her look a lot less intimidating.

She smirked. “I always have to wait since you’re slower than me anyway.”

“Don’t fight, kids.” Yongsun’s chastising tone startled both of them into laughter, immediately dispelling the competitive mood.

“Fine.” They chorused back, lapsing back into intermittent conversations after that.

Now that they were significantly less ravenous, the colour of the older girl’s nearly empty cup caught Wheein’s attention. The reddish hues staining the side of her cup were a stark difference to Hyejin’s and hers.

“Oh, Yongsun unnie!” Wheein called out abruptly. “Is that strawberry?” 

Yongsun, who had been typing a message on her phone, looked up at the sound of her name. She had a confused expression on her face for a moment, before her gaze landed on the cup and her eyes lit up in understanding.

“Oh. Uh, yeah, it’s one of my favourite flavours.” She answered distractedly, finishing a sentence before looking up properly. “Was yours alright?”

“Yeah, of course! I love chocolate.”

“Ah, I know.” It was the way Yongsun’s grin broadened with confidence, no small amount of pride injected into her statement, that took Wheein’s breath away. The fact that despite not being as close to Yongsun as Hyejin was, the older girl had noticed and remembered something about her. It made her feel seen, something that up until she had befriended Byulyi, only Hyejin had actually made her feel. A feeling of warmth bubbled up in her chest, forcing her to look down at her shoes.

“You sometimes bring out a few after lunch, don’t you?” Yongsun continued, unaware of her thoughts. “I’ve seen some of the wrappers you forgot to dispose of.”

Yes, Wheein couldn’t help but think, but Byulyi unnie didn’t.

Wheein turned back to the chocolate bingsu in her hands inquisitively. It was as though a missing piece in the puzzle that had been stuck in her head all summer had just been highlighted.

Without warning, Wheein felt a weight against her side as her best friend pressed her body against her arm. She groaned in protest but Hyejin was unrelenting. After a few seconds, the older of the two shifted on her seat, giving in as Hyejin’s chin found its place on her shoulder. 

“Yah. What are you thinking about?” The tanned girl asked, taking another bite of her bingsu. Her short hair tickled her neck, but the faint scent of her shampoo brought her back to days long gone, when they would sit and talk about their dreams together. 

She answered her friend with a side eye glance. Hyejin shrugged, her shoulder roughly coming into contact with Wheein’s forearm in the process. 

“You always have that look on your face when you’re thinking about something.” Wheein had to hold back a laugh at that. Hyejin could always read her a little too well. 

“Nothing much.” She reassured. “Just wishing that people would be more straightforward.”

“Mmhmm…” The low octave of her friend’s voice was evident of her disbelief, but Hyejin, being one of the people who could read her moods, let it go. She felt the exhale against her neck, along with the gentle knock on her head. “Don’t use your brain too much, genius.” 

Wheein laughed at her comment. “You’re spending too much time with Yongsun unnie. She said the same thing earlier.”

“Unnie knows what she’s talking about.” Hyejin smirked.

Wheein licked the remnants of sauce off the spoon as her gaze drifted back to Yongsun. 

The older girl was once again oblivious to them, the rhythmic clacking as she typed being the only sound breaking the silence.

The remainder of the strawberry bingsu sat beside her, melting away in the waning heat of the evening. 

She looked at the cup in her hands and thought of her conversation with Byulyi that afternoon. Her odd reactions to their banter and her sudden obsession with bingsu that didn’t add up.

Well, if she considered the fact that Byulyi’s visits to the drive-thru had never really added up to begin with, with Yongsun’s inherent dislike of Byulyi and the oddly specific delivery of dessert which felt like it carried more meaning than either of them had revealed, there was just something about the whole situation that bugged her.

There was one possibility which she had considered and dismissed earlier.

While Yongsun not telling the truth wasn’t exactly out of the question, she wasn’t about to risk inciting the wrath of her senior on a hunch.

One thing was for sure— she was looking forward to seeing Byulyi again.

~~

A week had passed and Byulyi still hadn’t shown up.

The first few days, Wheein had chalked it up to the senior having exams or being actually busy. They were working at a fast-food establishment. It wasn’t healthy for Byulyi to be eating food from them so often anyway. They were also in the middle of training the new hires, so she didn’t have much time to be concerned by the absence of one customer. However, by the time Friday arrived and there was still no sign of the blonde or her skateboard, Wheein got worried. 

At some point, while the evening sun was casting orange glows on the pale walls around her, she noticed a familiar face peeking through the doorway. The light brown hair cascading down the side of the wall was a giveaway, but Wheein was half lost in thought. Hence, the startled yelp that escaped her couldn’t be blamed on her. The yelp caused Yongsun to jerk, the side of her head hitting the wall with a dull thud. 

“Unnie?” Wheein met the older girl’s gaze as she stood to check on the clumsy brunette. “Are you hurt? My goodness, you scared me. You could have said something!”

“I- well, you seemed preoccupied.”

With how the senior staff looked away quickly, she must have called her a few times but received no response. Embarrassed and slightly ashamed, Wheein felt the urge to say something random to reassure her.

Yet, something about Yongsun’s worried expression reminded her that despite starting off as colleagues, the older girl did genuinely care about her well-being. 

It was enough for Wheein to gesture for her to come in.

“Sorry about that, unnie. Did the boss want to talk to us?” She offered Yongsun a seat, giving the older girl her full attention.

“No,” Yongsun shook her head. “It’s nothing like that. I just wanted to check in since you looked troubled just now.”

“Unless…” Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Did he say something to you?” 

“No, I’m alright unnie.” Wheein reassured quickly. A sense of warmth naturally bloomed at the way the older girl instantly frowned when she suspected their supervisor had scolded her. It was just like Yongsun to be ready to come to her defense even though she was not the one in trouble. “I was just worried about a friend that I haven’t heard from in a while.” 

Yongsun hummed. It was only when she crossed her arms that Wheein noticed that she had changed out of her work attire and was holding her apron in her hands. From the crop top and low-cut jeans she wore, the senior definitely wasn’t heading home for dinner. A small, black, sling bag hung over her shoulder. 

“You look nice.” She complimented sincerely. 

“Oh, this?” The older girl looked down at her outfit, as though she had forgotten about it. The sight felt so Yongsun that it made Wheein smile fondly at her. 

“I was actually supposed to clock out early today.” Yongsun explained, pointing to one of the newer staff who had taken over her station, before she could ask further. “But if you need a break to check on your friend, I can still cover for you.”

“Oh no, that’s not necessary.” She waved her arms to reject her offer. It was silly for her to be so concerned when she didn’t even have Byulyi’s number much less a proper reason to worry. For all she knew, she had misread things and there was nothing to worry about. 

“Do you have plans today, unnie?” Wheein asked instead, resting her chin on her hands in anticipation. Yongsun hardly talked about her social life, but judging by the pattern of her shifts every now and then, it was definitely not non-existent.

The brunette gave her a half nod before she shook her head suddenly; the force of her action causing strands of brown hair escaping her low ponytail and coming to rest against the sides of her face. 

“No, I was supposed to meet someone but my plans fell through.” Her expression dimmed slightly at her admission.

“Oh.” Wheein didn’t know what to say to that. “That sucks.”

It dawned on her that despite knowing and working with Yongsun for the same amount of time she knew Byulyi, she didn’t know much about the older girl other than her majors in school and that she had an older sister who was studying overseas. 

They weren’t strangers. Neither were they friends. Instead, they remained in the uncomfortable space in between, where either party had to make the effort to get closer. Unlike Hyejin, who shared a working space with Yongsun, Wheein didn’t really have the chance to speak to the older girl about non-work-related subjects. 

“Not really,” the older girl remarked dryly. If this conversation had taken place a few weeks back, her dismissive answer would have warded off any further comments. Now, however, Wheein swivelled to check the clock and made a decision. “It’s just how things are sometimes.”

“Well, Hyejin and I are supposed to finish our shifts in an hour, so if you don’t mind waiting, how about we have dinner together?” She asked, deliberately raising her voice so Hyejin could hear her. As if on cue, she saw a discreet head pop up at the corner of her vision and an “okay” sign.

Yongsun looked at her phone screen for a short moment, before seemingly winning the battle with her thoughts. 

“You know what, why not?” she smiled, before raising a finger to add a condition. “As long as it’s not fast food.” 

Wheein raised her fist in the air in triumph, dancing around in glee as Yongsun’s laughter soon filled the space between them. 

They ended up going to Yongsun’s apartment for supper since most of the restaurants were closed by the time the girls finished cleaning up. She had been surprised at her offer to cook, but the older girl insisted since it was their first time visiting.

Like her, the apartment was organised and tidy. A well-worn sofa lined the wall of the living room where a single television stood. The two younger girls sat around the low table, each of them leaning on one of the sofa pillows for comfort. It carried a hint of the scent of the ocean and something more woody, but it wasn’t unpleasant. 

Yongsun had probably sprayed some form of air freshener earlier in the day, Wheein supposed. The scent wasn’t exceedingly strong, but it triggered something in her memory with its familiarity, if only she could place it.

The night passed smoothly, but not without some minor hiccups.

In particular, there was an awkward moment when Yongsun cooked her homemade recipe of jjajang rice, coincidentally Wheein’s least favourite dish. Granted, Wheein did her best to stomach at least a few spoonfuls of the rice without throwing up, but she failed at hiding her displeasure entirely. That led to Hyejin having to explain that Wheein couldn’t stomach the taste of jjajang sauce, which prompted Yongsun to burst into laughter. After which, she promptly left to the kitchen and returned with a bowl of ramyeon and the incident became the first of many incidents they would laugh at one another over.

Wheein went home that night, one of her arms linked with Hyejin, her stomach full and memories filled with random stories and facts about her senior. 

“See,” her best friend’s voice was hoarse from laughing too much over the span of a few hours. From the way her throat felt like she had walked through the Sahara, she knew hers sounded no better. “I told you, unnie’s not that bad.”

She hummed in response, a tacit agreement to her statement. 

“She’s still weird though.” Wheein teased with a smirk. 

“So are you, weirdo.” Hyejin rolled her eyes and tugged her into their flat before they both crashed from exhaustion. “We match well.”

When all three of them arrived at work with matching sore throats the next day, Wheein couldn’t help but agree.

~~

Whatever reprimand she had prepared to throw at Byulyi about disappearing flew out the window the next time the blonde girl appeared. 

It had officially been two and a half weeks since the older girl’s last visit, which, for any other customer, wouldn’t have meant much. However, considering how persistently Byulyi appeared, her sudden absence said a lot.

Just two nights ago, she had flopped on Hyejin’s bed to rant about all the things she would scold Byulyi for, if the other girl ever appeared in front of her again. Her best friend had listened semi-attentively, although Wheein wasn’t sure how much she could relate since Hyejin had limited interaction and knowledge about the blonde. She had considered asking Yongsun again, but the older girl had been relatively down the past few weeks, even though they had been eating tteokbokki for supper almost every day.

It wasn’t an excuse to oversleep and miss her alarm, but it happened. After frantically getting ready and Hyejin waking up even later than her, which caused them to miss the bus, both girls arrived for their shifts late. 

Soojin, one of the front counter staff, had been manning the food preparation station when Wheein swiped her card to clock in. A peek around the corner revealed Yongsun, who was handling the customers lining up at the drive-thru. 

After getting reprimanded by the branch supervisor, she had to agree to stay back to make up for it. To make matters worse, Yongsun was in an irritable mood, so everyone had taken to walking on eggshells to avoid upsetting the already annoyed brunette.

Needless to say, after an exhausting afternoon, Wheein would have called Byulyi a sight for sore eyes but considering how haggard the other girl appeared, she couldn’t find it within herself to tease her. Perhaps the universe had it in for them, because it didn’t take a genius to see that Byulyi was having an equally bad day or worse.

When she arrived, she sounded so unlike herself that Wheein had taken a few seconds to recognize her usual order when it came through the speaker.

“Oh it’s you today, Wheein. Hello.” 

It was her first time greeting her without any of her usual flirtatious remarks. 

Wheein tilted her head at her odd behaviour. “Hi unnie. Rough day?”

“Mm… I guess. I didn’t really sleep yesterday. Actually, the night before too.” The coarseness of her voice told Wheein that it was likely more than just a simple lack of sleep, but the younger girl decided to let it go. “But it’s good to see you.”

She would have returned the sentiment, if the blonde didn’t have such a dark cloud over her. She had thought that after the bingsu delivery, things had improved. However, it seemed to have done the opposite.

She took in the other girl’s appearance as Byulyi searched through her bag for her card. Her hair was normally slightly messed up from her helmet or the wind, but the unusually dull shade of yellow, coupled with the strands of hair that escaped the dismal attempt of a ponytail was enough for Wheein to glance towards the kitchen discreetly.

Yongsun hadn’t taken her break yet. Her back was turned, preparing a couple of burger patties while Hyejin was manning the deep fryer. 

The overlapping clamour of voices from the other window told her that there was probably a line up front. 

“Haven’t seen you here in a while.” Wheein remarked instead, trying to change the topic to something lighter. “Did you finally decide to cheat on us with the fried chicken shop down the street?” 

“Oh,” the blonde scratched the back of her neck guiltily. “Lately, I was thinking that after eating fast food all the time, I needed a change of environment. I thought it might help me… enjoy it again.” 

“Did it?” She couldn’t help but ask. This clearly had nothing to do with fast food. 

“I’m not sure.” Byulyi admitted. “I haven’t tried it since.”

Wheein couldn’t hold back the frown as Byulyi shifted uncomfortably on her feet. 

This version of her was so unlike the usual Byulyi that it was almost unsettling. Despite how much she complained about her relentless pick-up lines, she would rather be subjected to her teasing than see her friend so down.

She glanced at the computer, Byulyi’s regular order already on screen. “You know, if you like something that much, you should just go and con- I mean, eat it.”

“You never know,” she rambled, realising that the analogy wasn’t really working. “Some establishments, uh, have customer loyalty programs to reciprocate—”

The blonde girl suddenly laughed, taking Wheein aback and cutting her off before she spiralled even further.

“That was, uh, a good attempt.” As the laughter faded, the dancer’s smile dimmed slightly. “I guess it’s a little obvious, isn’t it?”

“Will that be all for today?” Wheein turned the screen for Byulyi to check her order, keeping her tone gentle. 

The other girl didn’t respond. Instead, she sighed, her eyes seemingly trailing behind her again. Wheein tried not to sigh at her friend’s distant expression.

She hadn’t seen such a searching gaze from the older girl since their first meeting. It was almost as though she wanted to say something but was wavering over the decision. The indiscreet lull in the conversation lasted long enough for Wheein to notice the slight redness around the corners of her eyes. 

Oh.

Wheein bit her lower lip. The two of them really needed to talk. 

“Sorry, I was thinking of something.” She shook her head with an apologetic smile. After a discreet attempt to wipe her eyes on her sleeve, her eyes ran across the screen, processing the order. Wheein pretended not to notice the way her eyes glimmered with more than a little sadness.  

“Actually, I think I’ll just get a coke, if that’s okay?” The statement came out as more of a question, which sounded out of place from the normally confident girl. 

Wheein paused. “You don’t want your usual burger and fries?” 

The older girl smiled weakly. 

“I’m not really feeling it today.” 

Nodding, Wheein broke eye contact. 

The glassy look in her eyes made her feel hollow. Although they hadn’t talked outside of work, she considered the other girl a friend. Easily affected by the people around her, it was hard for her to feel happy when the people she cared about weren’t. If it had been Hyejin, she would have been consumed by her own thoughts until she found a solution.

She felt the urge to try and make the other girl feel better, even if it was a temporary solution.

“Actually, how about an ice cream?” Wheein offered, her fingers already keying in the order as a staff meal on the computer. It meant she had one less item for her to eat later, but it was the least she could do for a senior who had been entertaining her the past few weeks. She could always steal something from Hyejin anyway. “We don’t have mango, but I can get you a sundae and you can choose whichever sauce you’d like with it.”

It was a flimsy plan, but one thing was certain. Byulyi couldn’t have both a Coke and an ice cream at the same time while on her skateboard. She would have to sit somewhere, which would give them a chance to talk.

“You can consider it as a gift under the friendship discount.” 

The offer seemed to do the trick because Byulyi leaned forward with a hint of her usual mirth. 

“Wheein-ah, are you flirting with me?” The gloominess hadn’t disappeared from her eyes entirely, but it wasn’t as apparent as before. 

“Don’t push your luck.” Playing along, the brunette shoved the meal receipt in her face. She wasn’t falling for the distraction this time. “Just tell me what flavour you want before I change my mind.” 

After a moment, something akin to gratefulness flashed across her eyes before she looked away.

“Choc- Actually, no. Strawberry.” Came her soft answer. “I’ll get strawberry, please.”

Wheein held back a sigh as she typed out the order.

“Thanks.” It was a simple word that Byulyi repeated each time Wheein took her order but this time, it was said with a sincerity that struck the younger girl. 

“Unnie.” Byulyi paused, looking up in question.

She likes you back, was what Wheein wanted to say. She wanted to say that Yongsun’s been in a bad mood ever since she stopped her visits, but it wasn’t her place.

“Hope you feel better.” She said instead. “About the fast food.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be okay.” The blonde’s chuckle sounded hollow, and her closed-lip smile didn’t reach her eyes. However, she brushed a few strands of hair from eyes and backed away from the window. “See you later, Wheein.” 

Only, for the first time since she started working there, Wheein wasn’t sure whether she would. 

~~ 

“Well, if it isn’t my favourite employee! It’s good to have you back. How was your trip?”

It was another afternoon in the sweltering heat, but she could feel the temperature dropping at night— a sign that autumn wasn’t too far away. She wouldn’t admit it, but she wasn’t looking forward to the next school term. 

The brunette waved at the approaching skateboarder and told the trainee behind her to take a break. At the behest of her family, she had reluctantly taken a few days over the weekend to visit her hometown.

“Really unnie, I was gone for half the week. You act as though I went MIA.” Wheein gave her a pointed look as she typed in her usual order. “I’m sure Yongsun unnie would have something to say about your sentiments if she had heard you.”

The blonde girl’s eyes curved into crescents at the mention of the older girl. After the day Yongsun left the kitchen with a strawberry sundae, both of them had been in noticeably better spirits. She assumed the talk went well, although Byulyi had yet to be introduced to them officially.  

“Yongsun doesn’t need the title of being my favourite employee. She’s already my favourite person.” 

“Cringey.” Wheein pretended to gag into her fist. It wasn’t the first time she had heard something of that sentiment, nor would it be the last. According to Hyejin, the dancer had visited nearly every shift that Yongsun worked while she was gone. 

“If I get diabetes by the end of summer, I’m blaming you, Moon Byulyi.” She warned, pointing a manicured finger in her direction. “I don’t know how unnie puts up with you.”

Byulyi’s laughter greeted her in response. Wheein didn’t bother to hide her smile this time. She really was happy that they had worked things out.

That being said, if she had thought Byulyi’s pick up lines were bad before, it was nothing compared to the sappiness she exhibited when it came to Yongsun. Perhaps it was the honeymoon period, but it just made her feel incredibly aware that she was single. A reminder that she really didn’t need. 

“So, what’ll it be today? A quarter pound cheeseburger, a la carte?” Wheein read out from her screen, eager to hand the greasy blonde over to her girlfriend. Byulyi was wearing a denim jacket over a white shirt, jeans hanging loosely below her waist. Her helmet dangled from her arm casually; strands of her long hair gently dancing in the breeze. She looked more like someone who had reached her destination, rather than someone who was dropping by on the way somewhere else.

Eyeing her outfit, Wheein added. “Or would you like a set for a change?”

The other girl pretended to think for a moment, despite the edges of her lips curving into a smile. 

Wheein rolled her eyes but remained silent. She could play along, at least until another customer arrived. 

It didn’t escape her notice when Byulyi’s eyes darted to the kitchen partition, no doubt trying to gauge the current workload. 

The younger girl smiled to herself. Yongsun might pretend to complain, but numerous instances had already proven that she wouldn’t hesitate to clock her break whenever Byulyi showed up. The predictability was a little sickening, but endearing nonetheless.

“I’ll have a set please.” Byulyi decided. 

Wheein nodded, adjusting the order on the screen until the blonde spoke up again. Her voice was more uncertain this time. 

“Actually, can you add a Strawberry Mango pie McFlurry to that?”

“Eh?” Wheein squinted at the electronic screen in front of her for a moment. Wordlessly, she swiped over the menu of images to verify that she wasn’t seeing things. 

Was there some update to the menu that she had missed?

She opened a tab that she never opened whenever Byulyi came— the limited menu. Since the day they met, the older girl never ordered anything aside from her usual items. At first, she assumed it was one of her quirks. Now, however, she was certain it was some form of communication between them.

“Uh… A mango what?” Cheeks slightly red, the other girl repeated the order. 

Wheein muttered under her breath. From the last briefing she had, the limited desserts on their list were all strawberry related, a flavour she clearly remembered Byulyi mentioning that she wasn’t a fan of. 

“Unnie, are you sure you didn’t make a mistake? We don’t have that item on the menu.” Scanning the screen once, twice and a third time, the brunette looked up apologetically. “And don’t you dislike strawberry?”

“Ah, that…” The blonde’s eyes shifted down and to the side before meeting her gaze again. The tiny smile on her face gave away the subject of her thoughts before she explained any further. “I said that because Yongsun unnie likes strawberry so we always get it. But, I suppose it doesn’t really matter because she steals my mango juice too.” 

“Anyway,” she cleared her throat, trying to move past the admission. Instead, Byulyi leaned over to peer at the screen. “I think unnie writes it as a Strawberry McFlurry but with a special note.”

The raised eyebrow she sent Byulyi was enough to make the older girl rub her neck and glance away in embarrassment. Wheein would have jumped on the opportunity to tease the other girl if she wasn’t so frustrated. Mango wasn’t even on their list of available ingredients, much less on their menu. 

She had no idea how Yongsun entered it into the system as an order and from the sounds in the adjoining kitchen, the senior staff member was in the middle of training one of the newer girls. She could tell from the way Yongsun pinched her nose bridge and glanced towards the ceiling that interrupting her at this point was not a good idea.

She wanted to sigh. Ever since she started working, the sheer amount of customers that came up to her asking for weird combinations of food which absolutely did not exist were laughable at best and vexatious at worst. However, never would she have imagined Moon Byulyi to become one of them.

“I don’t know what secret menu unnie has been giving you but I’m charging it as a Strawberry McFlurry.” Wheein announced with finality. She met Byulyi’s gaze evenly, daring the other girl to disagree. “Take it, or just ask Yongsun unnie to do it when she’s on register duty.”

“Fair enough.” The older girl grinned sheepishly and held her card against the reader. “Thanks again, Wheein-ah.”

“Yeah yeah. If you want to thank me, write me a recommendation in your review. Now go and annoy unnie instead of me.” Wheein shooed the blonde away, ignoring the loud chortle from her. 

“See you later!” Byulyi waved as she pushed her skateboard away from the window. The familiar greeting caused the ends of her lips to curve up. 

In a quick motion, Wheein leaned out the open window. A light breeze brushed the side of her face, tickling her cheek. 

“No, I won’t!” Wheein called out, grinning when the other girl turned back to give her the middle finger. 

It didn’t surprise her when Yongsun announced she was taking her lunch break a few minutes later. Spotting the pink dessert in hand, no doubt the item Byulyi mentioned, Wheein smirked and told her to enjoy her date, clapping gleefully when she received a blush and a “don’t be so noisy” in return. 

Lately, she had been pestering the older girl to bring Byulyi to hang out with them. She had yet to be successful but it was no secret that the dancer was basically an honorary staff member with how much she had contributed to their income over the summer. She was sure the number of times Byulyi came to the outlet might even rival that of a part-time employee.

However, this time, she had a different problem on her mind when she made her way to the kitchen. 

Passing the headset over to the trainee, Wheein ran up to her best friend. Her palms landed on the table with a smack, causing the other girl to jump. 

“Hyejin-ah, so tell me, what’s all this about some Strawberry Mango pie McFlurry?” Staring her friend down, she made sure that Hyejin knew she wasn’t taking no for an answer. “Do we even have mango in here?” 

Hyejin raised an eyebrow as she continued to shuffle batches of French fries into their appropriate boxes. 

“Did some customer try a secret menu item on you again?” She chuckled. “Don’t you normally tell them to politely take their business elsewhere?”

“Well, according to Byulyi unnie, this one isn’t so secret.” The brunette grumbled. “I just need to know if it’s a thing. If it is, then I’ll need the system code to customise the order.” 

Hyejin looked up, stray parts of her fringe escaping the cap and hairnet to rest on her forehead. “Oh, Byulyi unnie’s here already?” 

Wheein groaned. “Hyejin, have you even been listening to me?” 

“Hmm, yeah, sounds like an issue. Wait, try this and tell me if it’s too salty.” A fry was stuffed into her mouth before she could protest. The unwanted explosion of salt and something fishy on her taste buds momentarily distracted her from the fact that her best friend was definitely not listening to her. 

“Bad? Good? Neither?” Her taste buds felt as confused as she did. Licking her lips absentmindedly, Wheein couldn’t find the words to respond. Instead, it came out as a grimace.  

“Okay, too much. Got it.” With a nod, Hyejin turned back to the table and readjusted the proportion of ingredients. Wheein sighed, mourning the lack of attention. 

Her best friend had good reason to be busy though. The green smudges on Hyejin’s gloves, along with the smell of the sea in the air, reminded her that seaweed shaker fries were next to be added back onto the menu. Hyejin needed the recipe to be muscle memory if she wanted to churn out seaweed fries fast enough to satisfy the line that would likely form during lunch. 

For whatever reason, customers tended to flock the counter whenever they added the word “limited” to an item. It was a marketing tactic, as Yongsun had explained once, but Wheein found it strange how items that weren’t popular before could gain popularity with one word. 

Snatching another fry, Wheein ignored the stare sent her way and chewed thoughtfully. The longer the taste remained in her mouth, the less odd it became. After she got used to the taste, she had to admit, the thought of having another wasn’t as revolting. Perhaps Byulyi’s charm worked the same way as well.

A used blender sat in the sink, splashes of pink reminding her of her reason for disturbing her friend.  

“Do you think Yongsun unnie made that dessert specifically for Byulyi unnie?” Wheein asked out loud. 

“Hmm? I wouldn’t be surprised.” Her friend shrugged. “She’s her girlfriend after all.”

Hyejin’s lackluster reaction didn’t surprise her. She hadn’t reacted when Wheein came running into the kitchen after Yongsun left for her break holding a strawberry sundae. She also hadn’t said much other than offering a hug when Yongsun came back and told them that everything was fine.

“Well, of course she is.” Wheein agreed with a sigh. She would probably have to ask Yongsun when she came back. “Even that was partly orchestrated by yours truly, anyway.”

The last part was mumbled under her breath, but it was loud enough for her friend to hear. 

Unexpectedly, out of everything she had mentioned, that was the line that made Hyejin still her movements. She faced Wheein, her brow furrowed in confusion. 

“What are you talking about?” 

“Our Yongsun unnie,” Wheein gestured vaguely at the doors which Yongsun had passed through, hoping her friend would understand without her having to spell everything out. “And… Byulyi unnie!” 

“You know…” She interlaced her hands in a single motion as she shot the other girl a look. She glanced to the side, where the other front counter staff were within earshot, before returning her gaze back to her friend. 

Hyejin remained unshaken. A bell jingled on the counter, the sound spurring her into action as she wordlessly pushed a tray of two burgers and fries over. She knocked on the metal counter, a signal for the front counter staff to collect the meal, before taking the next order slip. 

She turned back to Wheein and continued as though they hadn’t been interrupted. 

“That’s what I don’t get.” She folded her arms and leaned forward. “What does all this have to do with you?” 

“I think it’s really clear that—“ 

There was a metallic hum as the kitchen door swung open. Wheein’s head shot up, partly out of fear that there was a random spot check and partly out of concern that something had happened. 

A relieved breath left her lips when a familiar face emerged from the doorway. 

“Yongsun unnie!” Wheein called out. 

It had barely been ten minutes since the older girl left. While the senior was always punctual, she hadn’t expected Yongsun to be back before her scheduled break was over.

Brown eyes scanned the room before stopping on her and Hyejin. 

“Oh, you’re here, Wheein-ah.” Yongsun smiled. “Have you eaten?” 

“Not yet,” she shook her head. “Aren’t you on break though?”

“Funny you should ask, because I was having a nice lunch when a certain someone,” she emphasised, folding her arms and glancing behind her. “Refused to let me eat in peace because she wouldn’t stop talking about keeping a promise. So—”

“Surprise!” Just then, a glint of blonde hair peeked out from behind the door. “Long time no see, Wheein-ah.”

Wheein grinned, not quite believing her eyes. She had been serving Byulyi at the window for months but it felt like she was seeing her for the first time. “Nice to see you again, unnie.”

Ignoring her, Yongsun turned to the dancer with a stern look. “Let me reiterate this again. Full disclosure, if someone walks in and sees you in here, I’m saying that you blackmailed me.”

“You say that every time, unnie. You really must be getting old.” Byulyi rolled her eyes, fully stepping out from behind the brunette. She wasn’t sure if it was because of their shoes but at her full height, Byulyi was slightly taller than Yongsun. Somehow the height difference made the stern senior look comical while trying to make threats.

“Anyway, I’m here to say hi to the kids. If you’re that hungry, feel free to head back out first and eat on your own.” 

“Rude.” Unable to make a rebuttal, Yongsun shoved the other girl with a pout; not too hard that she fell over but hard enough for an “oof” to escape from Byulyi. 

“Violent!” Rubbing her arm with a dramatic sigh, she gave them a pitiful look. “See the abuse I have to deal with?”

“Sure unnie.” Wheein replied, sarcasm belying her tone.

Yongsun mumbled something under her breath, probably asking the universe why her girlfriend was like that, but she didn’t move an inch. Not that she could, anyway, considering how the blonde resumed her vice-like grip on her arm. 

It was Hyejin who cleared her throat, drawing their attention away from each other.

“It’s nice to finally meet you properly, Byulyi unnie.” The tanned girl bowed slightly after introducing herself. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Thanks for taking care of our Yongsun-unnie.” Wheein added, semi-seriously. 

“Not at all.” Byulyi’s grin lit up the room as she met both their gazes. “I should be saying the same to you, and apologising for all the trouble.” 

“Yah, I’m still here.” Yongsun’s cheeks were flushed an adorable shade of red. “What’s with the look on your faces… Why are you all being weird?”

“Why are you all being weird?” Byulyi repeated in a mocking tone, leaning into Yongsun until her mouth was close to her ear. The older girl yelped, tilting her face to the side and shoving the younger girl in the opposite direction. Byulyi’s arms remained wrapped around her middle as she laughed. 

“You’re a child.” Yongsun admonished with a huff. To emphasise her point, she gently flicked the side of her arm. 

Byulyi whined, pressing herself even closer to the older girl. The sudden aegyo surprised Wheein, shattering her previous image of the dancer. 

“A child you’ve been dating for two years, so what does that make you, unnie?” 

The silence that followed was deafening. From Wheein forcing her lips shut to prevent herself from bursting into laughter to Hyejin hiding her smirk as she redirected her focus to taking out a few burger buns in preparation for the next order. 

“Moon Byulyi!” A string of curses and insults spewed from the other girl’s lips, making her sound like a rapper. 

Laughing, the dancer allowed some of the hits on her arm to land before she caught both of Yongsun’s wrists, holding them firmly in the space between them. 

Wheein was in the middle of a laugh too, when the full implication of Byulyi’s statement hit her. Stunned, she turned sharply to Hyejin with wide eyes. Her friend gave her a small shrug of confirmation, as if to say she had been trying to tell her of that fact. 

Wheein’s eyes nearly fell out of their sockets as she gazed upon the bickering couple. 

“Two WHAT?” 

~~

Extra:

“Ahn Hyejin.” From the way the tiny girl was fuming, Hyejin knew she was in trouble. 

“Jung Wheein.” She answered, leaning her body over the counter, unintentionally towering over her best friend. “How can I help you?”

“You knew.”

“You need to be more specific.” She said, lining the ready-made packs of fries up for the customers in the queue.

“You know what I mean.” Wheein cut in. Her words were uttered through gritted teeth. Yet, after years of dealing with her, Wheein’s annoyance felt like water on her back. “Two years, Hyejin-ah… They were-”

She raised her arms in the air in exasperation as she trailed off, leaving her to fill in the blanks.  

Hyejin hummed. She winced at the clatter from the side, which was followed by a meek “sorry”. She turned, briefly assessing if the new trainee needed assistance, before returning her attention to Wheein. After all, Yongsun had instructed her to watch over the new girl, before she officially clocked off ten minutes ago. 

There were still three hours before her and Wheein’s shifts ended, to her dismay. Yet, as much as she teased Yongsun about ditching them for dates, she was relieved that the senior had returned to her regular shift schedule on Fridays. Or rather, whenever Byulyi came to pick her up. 

While the couple bickered and made up frequently, their cold wars meant dealing with a constantly annoyed Yongsun and a moping Byulyi or vice versa. Neither combination was pleasant. Hence, Hyejin was thankful that the couple couldn’t really stay angry with one another for too long. 

It did mean that Yongsun joined them less often for dinner nowadays. However, considering how the blonde dancer only left after creating group chat with the four of them, that was likely about to change. 

“Dating?” She continued, taking pity on her friend. It was hard not to, when she looked like steam was about to burst from her ears. “Yes, I knew. I think manager-nim suspects too.” 

She thought about the black necklace Yongsun always kept in her bag during work hours; the exact design that Byulyi wore on her neck when she visited. 

~~ 

Hyejin sighed audibly as the cashier picked up each of the items and scanned them at a snail’s pace. Her long nails rapped softly against the counter with impatience. 

The convenience store was ten minutes from their branch. There were other options, but it was the outlet with the cheapest items and for two hungry freshmen students celebrating their first week of work, that was exactly what they needed. However, that was already ten minutes too long for Wheein, who was likely waiting for her at the bus stop. 

The neighbourhood was quiet when she opened the door. Most of the houses were dark by then, the streetlamps being the only lights illuminating the path back to her workplace. 

Her attention was on her phone when it happened. Her friend had already sent her a message asking if she managed to find the frozen packs of samgyeopsal that they were looking for. 

That was when she heard a murmur of voices from the tables behind her. Normally, she would have simply looked down, walked faster and ignored the sounds. However, the muffled laughter was uncannily familiar. 

She was already late. Wheein could wait two minutes more, she figured. 

Her feet took a couple of steps around the corner before she could consider whether it was a good idea.

She saw Yongsun first. Aside from the makeup and casual dress she wore, the senior was easy to recognize. The lower cut of her dress exposed her collarbone, and a thin black chain that sat delicately on her neck. Her eyes then fell on the blonde girl who, for some reason, had placed her cup on the table and was trying to snatch the other girl’s ice cream. She was wearing a simple crop t-shirt and jeans, but what caught her attention was the black necklace around her neck, identical to Yongsun’s. 

The senior’s eyes were curved in delight as she tried to smack the girl beside her. She couldn’t really do much damage, considering how the other girl’s hand was interlocked with hers. 

There was no question that they were on a date. The tanned girl tried to back away, but the sound of her shoes against the floorboard caught the couple’s attention. 

“Oh, Hyejin-ah.” She almost regretted not moving away before Yongsun spotted her. “Your shift just ended?” 

It was too late now though. She tried not to stare at the casual way they let their hand dangle between them despite getting caught. It felt like she had intruded on an intimate moment somehow. 

“Yeah.” She waved, albeit hesitantly. “Hello sunbae.”

“Sunbae?” Lighting up, the blonde girl nudged Yongsun pointedly, earning her a questioning look from the brunette. The message somehow got across because the senior rolled her eyes and turned back to Hyejin. 

“I believe Wheein and this girl are already acquainted but Hyejin-ah, this is Moon Byulyi. She goes to our school.” She introduced simply. 

“Hi! Nice to meet you. You’re Wheein’s friend right? She mentioned you.” The blonde girl greeted with a cheerful smile. Neither of them seemed upset about the interruption, which was a relief. While she nodded to the blonde, she couldn’t help but try to place where she knew her from.

It was only when she spotted the skateboard resting on the chair that it clicked. Wheein had been talking incessantly about a blonde skateboarder who kept coming by the outlet. She had complained about the older girl ordering a la carte items so many times that Hyejin tuned out most of the stories. 

Her eyes widened.

“Ah! Stalker unnie?” The exclamation came out before she could stop herself. 

“Stalker?” Yongsun responded first, glaring sharply at the girl beside her. “Moon Byulyi, what have you been doing to my juniors?”

“Nothing!” The blonde flung her hands up in innocence. “It was a misunderstanding!” 

“Yeah! It was a joke.” Hyejin agreed quickly. Wheein had cleared up the misconception but the story had remained in her memory ever since.

Seizing the opportunity of a distracted Yongsun, the blonde leaned over, licking the side of her cone and biting the top of the ice cream, destroying the shape Yongsun had left it as. 

“Yah, you ruined it.” The older girl tried to move the ice cream out of her reach, but the blonde was faster. Hyejin couldn’t stop her raised eyebrow when she heard her senior let out a whine of protest. “Byul-ah, go eat your own.”

“I am.” She challenged, steadily holding her gaze with an underlying tension that made Hyejin want to be anywhere but there. 

The older girl pat her hand patiently. “You know what I mean.” 

“Your ice cream is melting.” Byulyi answered back, refusing to budge until the older girl gave in. It took three seconds, but Yongsun eventually relented and took a few licks to catch the stray drops of ice cream. The action seemed normal to Hyejin, but the smirk on the blonde’s face said otherwise. 

“Uh-” She wasn’t sure what had just transpired but it was getting awkward. Hyejin felt the weight of the meat in her hands. She cleared her throat. “Actually, Wheein is waiting for me, so I need to go.” 

“Ah,” Yongsun turned back to her. “See you tomorrow.”

“Bye unnie.” 

“Have a good evening.” The blonde girl called out as she brisk walked back to an impatient Wheein. 

~~

“I mean, they weren’t really hiding it.” She said finally. She couldn’t blame the other girl for not realising it. 

After all, Wheein wasn’t the one who watched Yongsun’s eyes light up every time she saw a familiar order slip. Neither did she see the anticipation when she finished her shift early, only to return soon after, carrying a few cups of bingsu and a disappointed expression.

Wheein didn’t know that Yongsun always prepared Byulyi’s orders personally. From frying the burger patty to making the drinks, she would ensure that everything was done with the utmost care, before handing it over to her. Her friend had not witnessed the glow on Byulyi’s face when she peeked through the gap of the window to get a glimpse of Yongsun working, or the adoring smile that adorned Yongsun’s face when she came back. 

Perhaps, Hyejin thought, if her friend had seen how Yongsun leaned slightly over the edge of the window, allowing their fingers to brush as she passed Byulyi her food, and how the blonde’s receiving touch lingered a second longer than necessary, she might have realised it sooner. 

“Ugh, forget it.” Wheein sighed exasperatedly. Flinging her hands up in frustration, the brunette spun on her heels and headed back to her station. “I give up. Couples like that are so annoying. I bet they had some cliché love story too.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Hyejin agreed easily, placating her friend. 

She couldn’t wait to see the look on Wheein’s face when she found out how they met.